


Aftermath

by ohmykhr (cheribell)



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, No Proofreading We Die Like Men, cradle affair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22331818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheribell/pseuds/ohmykhr
Summary: Varia forces Xanxus to deal with the aftermath of the cradle affair and to face Bel, who is a reminder of all the years that passed while he was frozen.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	Aftermath

It all still felt unreal to him. Having been frozen and sealed away for almost a decade, Xanxus never imagined he’d see the light of day again - and even if he did, Xanxus was certain there wouldn’t be anything to go back to. 

All of his beliefs turned out to be false when Nono _ woke him up from his slumber _ , as the old man worded it. As if he hadn’t been the one to freeze him, his own son. 

Well, adoptive son _. _

All of a sudden, Xanxus was alive and free and Varia was right there to welcome him with open arms, expecting him to take the lead once again - which he did. 

In all those years Xanxus had been gone, nothing had changed and yet everything was different. 

Squalo was still noisy and made Xanxus want to bash a glass on his head. Mammon was still under the Arcobaleno cure and greedy as ever. 

Many things had also changed, some of which bothered Xanxus more than others - Bel was now taller and older, his Varia coat no longer hung loosely on his thin frame and he had become a capable leader of the storm squad. 

Levi’s behavior towards Xanxus had changed completely - he monitored Xanxus’ every move, followed him like a shadow and was at his every beck and call, no matter how ridiculous or impossible the order was. 

Then there was Squalo. 

Squalo, who tried to smooth over everything, make it seem as if nothing had changed, as if no time had passed. But Xanxus didn't miss the way his right-hand man looked at him when he thought Xanxus wasn't aware of his stare. 

He looked at him as if he thought Xanxus was just a hallucination or a ghost from the past, ready to disappear any given moment.

The worst one of all the changes was Xanxus’ inability to look at Bel, let alone stay in the same room with him for longer than ten minutes. Every time he did, memories of the cradle affair flashed in his mind and suddenly he was trapped inside the ice again, letting time pass by him. Bel was a constant reminder of everything he had gone through, of all the years he had lost being stuck inside that icy prison. 

Xanxus hated that suffocating feeling he got whenever the past came back to haunt him - it made him feel so weak and powerless, something he never wanted nor believed himself to be.

He didn’t isolate himself on purpose, it was something that just  _ happened _ . Xanxus knew he wasn’t the only one hurting. He knew the rest of Varia had suffered as well.

Not too long ago Xanxus had walked past the hallway where Mammon’s and Bel’s rooms were and he heard a conversation between the two. About him. Bel had been the one to do most of the talking, asking Mammon why Xanxus was avoiding him, why the boss  _ disliked  _ the prince.

Xanxus had heard this loud and clear, but was unable to react. 

‘’Boss?’’ 

Xanxus’ head snapped up from the sound of Bel’s voice at his door. He must’ve fallen deep in thought once again - it happened more often than not these days. 

‘’What is it?’’ Xanxus took a long sip from his whiskey, turning his gaze back to the mission reports he pretended to read. His head buzzed slightly from the combination of alcohol and lack of sleep. Xanxus rubbed his forehead with his fingertips, trying to make his head clear.

‘’Make it quick, I don’t have time for you.’’

From the corner of his eye, Xanxus noticed the scowl taking over the prince’s expression as he strode up to his desk, throwing a pile of papers on top of the ones already scattered on his desk.

‘’The mission report you asked for,’’ Bel said, the usual upbeat tone of his voice gone, ‘’that’s all.’’

As Bel was turning to leave, the door slammed shut and they heard the lock turn from the other side of the door.

‘’You two better work things out or you’ll be stuck there forever,’’ Lussuria called behind the door, ‘’and no use shooting the door either, Boss. Mammon has sealed it with illusions.’’

Xanxus glanced at Bel who now sat cross legged in an armchair. The prince played around with one of his silver knives, whirling it around, unamused of the situation. 

It was a statement to Xanxus - he wasn’t going to talk first.

For the first few minutes, both of them sat still with the silence stretching between them. The ticking of a nearby clock drove Xanxus up the wall - he felt his throat tighten as if there was no oxygen left for him to breathe, the familiar suffocating feeling rising once again.

Xanxus noticed that Bel was now staring at him with a hint of curiosity framing his face. 

Had the storm guardian already sensed that something was wrong with him?

‘’The prince just doesn’t get it.’’ Bel finally spoke, resting his cheek against his hand, ‘’Boss, why do you resent me so much?’’

Xanxus had never seen anyone sit in his office with such ease, both legs up on the chair as if he owned the place. Seeing Bel like this, all comfortable in his office, brought back memories before the cradle affair when the princeling used to linger around Xanxus’ office whenever he busied himself with paperwork. 

‘’I don’t resent you,’’ Xanxus replied after he noticed Bel tapping his cheek impatiently. 

Bel let out a dry laugh. 

‘’Liar. The prince recognises resentment when he sees it.’’

Xanxus ran an exhausted hand across his face. Emotions and talking about them wasn’t his forte. Never had been, never will be. Yet he knew he’d have to do this if he wanted Varia to function like it had before. 

They had survived the cradle affair, now it was time to deal with the aftermath.

‘’It’s not aimed at you, Bel,’’ Xanxus didn’t dare to look at the assassin prince, knowing he couldn’t bare to see his reactions, ‘’the grudge, the rage, the resentment...these aren’t aimed at you.’’

‘’Then  _ why _ are you avoiding the prince?’’ Bel demanded, his voice breaking at the end of his sentence but Bel didn’t seem to care.

‘’When I last saw you, you were just a tiny runt,’’ Xanxus said, ‘’I come back and see that runt all grown up and I realize how many years I lost, stuck inside that ice.’’

‘’The prince is a reminder of...that?’’ 

Xanxus nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the mission reports. He waited for Bel to say something,  _ anything _ , but the youngest of Varia was oddly silent in his armchair.

‘’Alright,’’ Bel finally said as if he had made up hit mind. The determination in his voice made Xanxus look up from his papers at the young storm. ‘’It’s not something we can’t deal with.’’

Bel paused for a second before turning to Xanxus with a smile. 

‘’You’re not on your own with this, Boss.’’

Bel hopped on the floor and banged his fist against the door, yelling at Mammon and Lussuria to let him out,  _ or else _ .

The door opened and Xanxus wordlessly watched as Bel strutted away without looking back. 

He truly had matured, Xanxus realized, Bel had become someone he could depend on.


End file.
